^ the above is why chewy is prob one of three people I'd listen to on here

_________________"Don't fall for that crap that people are peddling on the message boards, in magazines or on TV. Get your shit in order, and get your training in order. Start kicking ass, and take out the crap that doesn't matter" Jim Wendler

I personally love having my main lift mapped & also my assistance. If I haven't even got 5, 3 or 1 reps in me on those respective days then something would be seriously wrong. I also don't believe in tweaking the program, in all respects who are we to alter his work? He was a high end competing powelifter who lifted well above his weight, so my knowledge & know how in reality is nothing compared to Wendlers. Why bother to follow a program to then alter it? Just don't do it

I should have been clearer in my response: I'm all for adaptive training once you reach a level where you know what works best for you, i.e. when you're not following a "strict" program. However, I do think a lot of beginners/novices (and I include myself in this) fuck around far too much with programs and wonder why they don't see results.

Mini Forklift, for example, is definitely at a level where he knows what works for him and can tweak his program as he sees fit. Me? I'm still a beginner so I should follow the example of someone who knows much more than I do until I really know what does or doesn't work for me.

Plus, I also look at most of the 5/3/1 templates as being adaptive in that you are still choosing the assistance work and/or weight you're using for each one (besides a few).

chewybaws wrote:

I simply explained to him that I look at strength training more like a marathon, and that I'll be hitting up the 35's in the months ahead. I've seen the way he trains and he maxes out every set and spends his full session frustrated that he's not hitting bigger numbers. That's not for me. I use my training to build strength, not to test it.

Agree with veggie and, the part I bolded, that might just go in my signature - you definitely have one of the best outlooks on lifting of anyone I've talked to. Really glad you check in on my log when you can, mate.

Thanks for the link - I might start doing that Strongman conditioning - I'd love to incorporate power cleans back into my routine. Loved those when I first started lifting. Gonna go check out your blog before I eat my (second) lunch before work.

My reply was geared towards the core of 5/3/1 & how main lifts are mapped. Not what to add along with them, that part is obviously an area to play with...

_________________"Don't fall for that crap that people are peddling on the message boards, in magazines or on TV. Get your shit in order, and get your training in order. Start kicking ass, and take out the crap that doesn't matter" Jim Wendler

VIGNETTEFor the longest time, I thought internet “communities” were bogus. How, and why, could you make “friends” with people you were, more than likely, never going to meet – it’s not like these interactions were genuine, right? Retrospectively, I know this outlook had more to do with my utter distaste for the fact that person-to-person and tangible interactions were being replaced with person-to-machine-to-person contact and less to do with any empirical evidence proving that these efforts were fruitless or hokey. I just assumed they were less meaningful than meeting up for coffee or getting a letter in the mail – those things took effort. Now that I’m a bit older and wiser, I realize these prejudices were a bit, well, unnecessary. As my interest in powerlifting, fitness, and nutrition has deepened, it’s become increasingly clearer how difficult it is for me to find people with these same interests to actually have person-to-person contact with on a regular basis.Luckily, in December, I became a member of the VBB forums and, once I started logging there, I found a group of people who, while scattered around the world, have become some of the most encouraging, as well as inspiring, people in my life. And as Vegan Atlas/heavygan started gaining followers, I found another group of people who have become just as encouraging and inspiring – the fitblr community.And even though I’ve only been running these two blogs for handful of months, it didn’t hit me until yesterday that, for all intents and purposes, the people who read my blogs, specifically my training log(s), know more about me and my life than most of the people I interact with on a daily basis – they get all the blood, sweat, guts, tears, rants, and ridiculousness that I used to only really reserve for my girlfriend. So, when I put up a ‘follow these blogs’ type post on Iron Mountain yesterday, several of the people I mentioned re-blogged my post and suggested that others follow my blog. Almost instantaneously, I received a slew of new followers. Talk about being humbled.

Just to clarify, whatever programme I am running I nearly always stick to the basics and the outline of the programme.

I sometimes struggle with having my lifts pre-determined as I often have days where I'm varying in strengths (I'm Mr. Unconsistent in terms of my ability to knock out the same training poundages all the time) ?! This is why for me I'll work to the protocol but occasionally have to change the weights to suit my strength levels ~ nearly always reducing the weight. I can't recall once ever attempting a weight that was higher than what I was meant to be attempting.

_________________"Don't fall for that crap that people are peddling on the message boards, in magazines or on TV. Get your shit in order, and get your training in order. Start kicking ass, and take out the crap that doesn't matter" Jim Wendler

Great advice and definitely what I meant in the Monday's Afterward when I said "I came out of the gym knowing I had accomplished some things but will accomplish even more as a result of this session. I trained for a purpose, to get stronger, not just for that day, but for the coming days as well – an excellent motivator and mood booster."

Keep your eyes on YOU. It’s fine to get inspired by others’ physiques, but you have to set your own personal standards. People tend to fixate on their weaknesses, while at the same time obsess over the strengths of others. That’s a surefire way to stay eternally frustrated. It’s a healthier approach to acknowledge your own strengths, and use them as benchmarks by which to bring up your weaknesses. Learn to give yourself a pat on the back for the improvements you make. Keep your eyes on YOU, don’t let the achievements of others dictate your obsessions. – Alan Aragon

NUTRITION56/134/210

PROLOGUEIt only took a week but my morning routine is finally coming together. I wake up and immediately put on my sweats, start making a PB&B sandwich, get amped for my session, and practically flip a coin to “decide” if I make coffee or not. My newfound whimsical approach to coffee has led me to believe that my affinity for it is habitual and driven by taste rather than necessity: it’s become increasingly easier and easier to forgo a cup upon waking. I’m pleased with this as, a year and a half ago, I was (even more of) a rat bastard without my morning cup of sludge. What’s even more pleasing is exactly how pumped I was for this session – from the moment I woke up to the moment I loaded the plates for my last 5/3/1 set, I was in it – good vibes all-around for some reason. Must have been the spicy raspberry compote I threw on top of my PB sandwich. Must have been.SESSIONWarm-up: “Intense” elliptical for two minutes; lots of stretching, predominantly hip flexors

Deadlifts65x595x5125x5145x5165x10 (PR)After playing around with my stance during warm-up sets I think I’ve finally found the “sweet spot” for me feet and even though my hyperextensions aren’t done with heavy weight, I can feel how incorporating them has been making my back stronger. Really pleased with these.

BBB Deadlifts95x10x5Last set was paused, an addition I would plan on keeping if I choose BBB for my assistance work.

Back raises25x10x5 Dumbbell side bends35x1525x1530x15

Cool-down: Stretching. Lots. Of. Stretching.

AFTERWARDComing out of this session, I felt amazing. In fact, this was probably the best deadlifting, if not overall, session I’ve had in quite some time – form has finally come together (took a pointer from Chewy and put my feet closer together), I’m feeling stronger in my weaker areas (grip/lower back) and the combination of the 5/3/1 and BBB sets left me feeling accomplished but focused on the future.The only negative about the day was I made a slight macro-miscalculation early in the day and had, oh, I don’t know, roughly 130 carbohydrates to consume when I got off work at 11:15 p.m. So … I had two servings of cereal and a sliced banana mixed into protein pudding. Maybe “mis” is looking at things the wrong way in that situation.

ps I ate a whole large take out pizza last night in about 15 mins....:/

_________________"Don't fall for that crap that people are peddling on the message boards, in magazines or on TV. Get your shit in order, and get your training in order. Start kicking ass, and take out the crap that doesn't matter" Jim Wendler

ps I ate a whole large take out pizza last night in about 15 mins....:/

Energy has been through the roof this past week - definitely pleased with that. Now I just need to make sure I have my assistance work planned out for this next week of running the Tate template for a week to see how I like it and the same with the loadable assistance for the third week.

"When it doubt, squat and run hills" might be the most straight-forward piece of advice ever given to a lifter.

I want pizza so bad now that you said that.

robert wrote:

Detailed journal here!

Awesome stuff. All the best with training!

-Robert

Thanks for checking in, Robert - I know you're super busy so I really appreciate you popping in on my journal when you can. Keep killing it with your training as well!

PROLOGUEAs anticipated, Friday morning was spent leisurely. I woke up and brewed a half-pot of coffee for myself and my old lady and proceeded to work my way through some older T-Nation and Elitefts articles I'd been meaning to read instead of skim which led to me doing some additional research/reading until around 2:00 p.m. when I felt primed and ready to hit the gym.

BBB Dumbbell shoulder press15x10x5I've noticed, at my gym at least, that many people neglect form when they use dumbbells, choosing to wail out their reps by any means necessary instead of using proper technique. Since these were extremely light in comparison to what I use press, I took the opportunity to focus on my form and note any unevenness in my shoulders. No surprise - one side lags a bit more than the other which inclines me to use DB presses as assistance work regardless of what template I choose.

Assisted dips90x10x5Didn’t add weight to these since I did them in between BBB shoulder press sets.

Rack chin-ups5x10Random assortment of grips for these.

Close-grip bench press45x10x3Super light weight for these to get in some extra tricep work.

Wide-grip lateral pulldowns50x10x3Same as above but for lats. Obviously.

AFTERWARDNothing "noteworthy" for anybody else, most likely, but I managed to do all of my favorite non-work day things (go for a walk, hang out with my old lady, read/write, get a cup of coffee, stop by my favorite local shops, etc.) in one afternoon so, as has been the trend, yet another solid day down in the books. Expect a lengthier update tomorrow regarding assistance work for the next two template try-outs as well as some planning ahead.

Just remember bbb works off percentages of your training max, so if you go with dumbbells make sure to a degree these match up with that. Personally I'd ditch using dumbbells, they are a decent assistance but they hit more the middle shoulder. A strict military press works everything, just a thought.

If you're going to add things into the bbb template don't over do it.

_________________"Don't fall for that crap that people are peddling on the message boards, in magazines or on TV. Get your shit in order, and get your training in order. Start kicking ass, and take out the crap that doesn't matter" Jim Wendler

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